The judge, jury, and John Ferguson sat in court for all 53 days of the trial—but where was the pension board, if they were so concerned about their reputation?

That's the question defense lawyer Rod Gillis is asking giving his rebuttal to the pension board lawyer's closing remarks at the John Ferguson defamation trial. He said the pension board members have come and gone from court over the past 53 days, but if their reputations were really that important to them they would have wanted to be there and see what was happening.

Gillis further said any press about this lawsuit doesn't prove reputational loss, because the pension board decided to pursue the lawsuit and therefore brought it upon themselves.

Your ride to or from work may take a little longer this week – as police target “high risk” rail crossings.

It’s Public Rail Safety Week, and railway police and safety officials are fanning out across the region, stopping cars at select rail crossings to hand out safety pamphlets, and if they catch you doing something illegal, it will cost you.

CP Police Inspector Bill Law says that goes for both drivers and pedestrians.

Inspector Law says there’s been an alarming increase in the number of pedestrians being killed by trains – especially in Ontario. Several didn’t hear the train coming because they were wearing headphones.

There will be a crossing blitz at both the Ashburn Road Crossing and the Douglas Avenue Crossing on May 4th.

In his closing arguments, Pension Board Lawyer Barry Morrison portrays former Common Council John Ferguson as being callous and reckless by misrepresenting reality in his campaign to discredit the pension board. Morrison contends in that campaign decency and respect played no role.

Morrison repeatedly pointed out to the jury Ferguson missed many opportunities to reveal his alleged conversation with a pension board trustee about disability pensions being illegally approved which would would be breach of trust to his fellow council members.

The pension board argues that the conversation never took place.

Morrison also telling the jury Ferguson never produced any documentation to back up his criticisms because it was all smoke and mirrors.

He contends that when Ferguson was on common council did not act in good faith and did not dispel the impression that criminal wrongdoing was taking place by pension board trustees.

The work on clearing the pile of bricks and debris from last week's fire at 127 Charlotte street may continue for another week.One wall of what's left of the building next to the Lantern House on Princess street must be taken down by hand.

The Saint John Fire Department calling in the Department of the Environment to dispose of a 200 gallon tank of furnace oil.It's believed the oil drained into the basement of the property.

The fire last Wednesday destroying the Korner Grocery and an accounting office when fire broke out just after 3am. Three young men between the ages of 15 and 20 arrested last week face charges relating to the fire.

20 year old Roger Chaisson is in court today for a bail hearing. 19 year old Samuel Nolan is under house arrest and will have a mental health evaluation before his next court appearance on May 10th. A 15 year old who can't be named is also under house arrest and due back in court in June.

The people who are opposed to shale gas development in the province aren't any more enthused about waterless fracking than they are with using hugh volumes of water to break up the rock underground.

Researchers from U-N-B made mention of liquified propane gas in an opinion paper they released on shale gas.

Chris Rendell is with Hampton Water First and he warns propane is volatile telling CHSJ News when it's used everything that happens on the well pad is operated by remote control so if the operators have to stay behind a bunker what does that say about safety.

The Alward Government will spend half a million dollars to make the healthcare system in the province more efficient.

Inka Milewski of the Conservation Council says they could spend their money better if the information being used was better. She tells CHSJ News she knows from first hand experience how incomplete alot of the data was when she did a study on cancer rates around the province.

Milewski says the information on which spending decisions are made should be coming from community level so taxpayers are getting the best value for their buck.

Healthcare spending takes up something like 40 per cent of the provincial budget and that is expected to rise.